Sunday, December 30, 2007

Creating Laws that Protect Our Horses…

Sometimes, the only way to get something done right...is to do it yourself.

Sick to death am I, of our sport in which the needs of the horses come dead-last, at almost every turn. As we watch the insanity unfolding in New York—the needs of little men with enormous egos taking the lead over the needs of the sport as a whole—and hear more and more about horses being doped…I find that I am abandoning my minimal government stance for a more strict, more law-based ideal.

Allow me to elucidate: I am against Big Government, Big Brother telling me when I may take a drink of water or turn on the lights. I’m as far to the left as one can be without falling off the edge.

And, God knows, the current New York State government—executive AND legislative branches, alike—are showing, once again, that the more power one is granted—the more power one will demand. Egos and power struggles run amok, as horsemen and their critters head to Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Like rats off a sinking ship, New York racing is relocating south--and the only ones to blame are sitting in Albany, dining on watercress salads and Perrier. (For which we paid.)

Our sport is still run by people who refuse to institute a Commission and Commissioner to administer, in spite of a raft of evidence that proves, sans a doubt, that a Commissioner is necessary if our sport is to grow into the 21st Century. A few weeks ago I called for a Commission and Commissioner, as you may recall. Interestingly enough, a horsewoman of questionable morality from Kentucky TOLD me to take the column off of this ‘site. Of course, I refused. To quote Pontius Pilate, “Quod scripti, scripti.” (“I wrote what I wrote. Period.”)

I will never retract a statement I’ve made when I know that I’m right.

So now I’ve come to realize that the LAW is a tres different concept from that of the concept of LAWMAKERS. Lawmakers, as we know, are those fatcats who ride in nice cars; reside in upper-scale neighborhoods—and suck cash off of us in order to maintain that lifestyle.

While they're preening in Albany, New York State racing is going down the terlet. The rest of the country is no better: we're still "figuring out" if shooting a needleful of cobra venom is a punishable crime.

Racing across America is running wild in the paddock because there are no unified laws that dictate morality. Sometimes morality MUST be dictated, as we frail humans allow greed to cloud our ability to see and act morally.

The LAW, you see, is objective. It follows the Constitution, and philosophically and logically grows into a living, breathing entity that doesn’t care about individual demands, or how much money one possesses. The Law is, like King Solomon, the only entity concerned about wisely creating a society based on compassion, kindness and ethics.

For this reason—and because my plea for a REAL Racing Commission has fallen on deaf ears—I’m calling for the creation of The Center for Equine Law. A place where the Law can be studied; nurtured; cherished and created for presentation to the idiots in government.

The cretinous Visigoths in government are like so-many trained dogs: if you tell them that This is a Good Thing, then threaten them with expulsion from the pack if they don’t go along—their hearts and minds will follow. Their tails begin to wag, they smile and drool, and, by God...they go along.

So our sport needs a place where Law can be studied, promoted and created. I care deeply about horsemen’s needs; financial gain for those involved in the sport; and equanimity and balance for all those who wish to join us in this gorgeous endeavor.

But my biggest concern is (and always has been) for the horses, those athletes lacking thumbs and a voice. Mother Theresa said, “God has no hands on Earth but our hands.” It is OUR job, we horsewomen and –men, to stand up for the horses: to treat them with love and respect; to assure that they’re neither abused nor doped; and gently, lovingly retired.

And if we have to institute laws to make sure that people do The Right Thing, then, So Be It.

And if I have to create The Center for Equine Law to make sure that that happens, then, by God—I’ll do it.

And since I now work at the College of Law at a major Kentucky academic institution, working with a professor of Equine Law—WE will make it happen.

That unethical Kentucky horsewoman who demanded that I retract my call for a Racing Commissioner will no doubt object to new laws that may seem to restrict horsepeople’s rights to do as they will with their equine charges.

But I don’t give a damn about her opinion, only about what’s right for the horses. The Center for Equine Law may not exist as I write this, but watch out, evildoers and horse abusers—your days hurting our Thoroughbreds (and all breeds) are numbered.


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Monday, December 03, 2007

Freakish Females, Viragae and Time for a Change…

So sorry, kids, I was on a bit of a sabbatical. While I was trying to get into the groove here in the Bluegrass, Life happened, as they say. To quote Jerry Garcia, what a long, strange trip it’s been. Moving forward now, assuming that the rest of Kentucky ain’t as surreal as that which I experienced the first two months here…I’m back and ready to kick down doors with my shiny, sharp new high heels.



So the Alpha Mare is back, and I have a blog that’s sure to trip some triggers. I’m finally going to tackle that long-trusted myth, that fillies and mares aren’t as strong, fast or built as well as colts and “horses.” (As you know, the official designation of an older male Thoroughbred is, “horse.” This, unfortunately, excludes all the older females…which means that they get to be called “mares.” And “mare,” as we know, is often an assumption NOT of grace, or wisdom, or experience—but is usually preceded by the phrase, “old gray…”)

And that trips MY trigger.

I digress. Or not. Anyway, at the risk of receiving a boatload of bilabial fricatives (--get your mind out of the gutter—it’s a linguistic term: e.g., a Bronx cheer)—from those who’ve worked with horses longer than I’ve been alive—I’m going to make a big, bold statement and say that it is scientifically not true that fillies and mares are inferior, in any physiological or biological way, to male horses—Thoroughbred or other.

I know. I know. The stats SEEM to prove otherwise, but what they really prove is that culture; attitude; expectations and human bias can, indeed, effect the outcome of a race…albeit in a way that takes generations to realize.

You see, there’s a scientific (and social-scientific) explanation—calm down, and let me go on. If you follow the logic and physiological reasoning here, you’ll see that my opinion is not opinion at all. I’m merely the gleeful messenger, clapping her hands and jumping up and down as I deliver that which may be the death knell to misogyny in horse racing.

Enter Dr. Pauline Entin, Ph.D. Dr. Entin is a physiologist at Northern Arizona State University. I came across a white paper she wrote a couple of years ago—I found it online—in which she boldly states that IF, indeed, fillies and mares can’t cut it against the boys—it’s OUR fault, not theirs. And it all has to do with that funky place where physiology intersects with psychology, culture and expectations.

Now, I do not claim to know anything about the science of physiology: Dr. Entin’s paper contained symbols and equations that made my head spin. I can read (ancient) Greek, but when a Theta is placed next to a number—I practically get vertigo.

But the words that explained the numbers, now—those I can grasp. Words are my stock-in-trade. I read and understood every word of Dr. Entin’s scientific magic, and encourage you to get your hands on a copy of her paper and read it, too.

Here goes: prepare to learn, grow and perhaps have the world-as-you-know-it shattered.

It’s all very logical: Dr. Entin studied the histories (not anthropologies, that’s about humans. The zoo-opologies?) of dogs and horses.

Dogs are predators. Always have been. Yes, even the society dame’s seemingly-useless little Chinese Crested falls into that category: there’s a potential killer lurking in even the most innocuous or ridiculous-looking of dogs.

And horses are prey.

Both critters must run in order to accomplish their goals: the dogs, that of eating.

The horses, that of avoiding being eaten.

Are you with me so far?

Dr. Entin argues that—going back millions of years, to the present—if the females of either species couldn’t keep up with the males of their tribes—the tribes would have died off.

(Female dogs don’t sit home and wait for Daddy to bring home the bacon. Male dogs—again, going back to the wild dogs that evolved into our contemporary spoiled, coiffed, AKC purebreds—male dogs were not/are not the most nurturing of beings. The thought process has never been, “Tear off a leg for me, take the rest home to The Little Woman and the pups…”)

If female dogs couldn’t run with the pack—they starved.

If all the female dogs failed to run, and therefore, to dine—no baby dogs. So it seems that…ahhhh…female dogs…for many millennia, have been able to keep up with the boys.

Ibid., horses. If female horses couldn’t run as fast as their male companions—as the slowest of the tribe, they would have been caught first, consumed first. No foals. Horses, like dogs, would have died off after the first generation—if the females thereof had not been fleet-of-foot.

Dr. Entin studied thousands of dogs and Thoroughbreds, at hundreds of dog and horse tracks.

And, interestingly enough, she came to two fascinating conclusions:

1) (Regardless of what we may think of the world of dog racing): Female Greyhounds are treated, trained, etc.—exactly the same way as their male counterparts. And they’re raced against male dogs.

2) The key reason--and this statistic is fact, based on Dr. Entin’s findings—while there’s a generally-accepted 10% difference between human males and females regarding muscle mass and lung capacity—check this out, readers—the difference between male and female horses is a negligible 1.2%—"...hardly worth mentioning,"

(So all the nonsense about fillies and mares being smaller than males; having noticeably less muscle mass, etc.—is just that, nonsense. Cannot be scientifically proven—in fact, Dr. Entin proved just the opposite with this study.)

So where do the “facts” about female Thoroughbred physiology originate?

Enter conclusion #3:

3) The key reason why female Thoroughbreds—fillies and mares alike—are not often raced against the boys, and why they don’t often win when they do—is that…their human handlers assume that they can’t cut it against the boys.

In other words, to quote Dr. Entin: Tradition, psychology and training are the reason. There is absolutely no physiological basis for the long-established myth of female equine inferiority.

Now, I can hear the Kentucky hard-boots screaming at me now. And I know—I know!—that we’re going up against generations of skilled, wonderful, brilliant trainers here, men (and even some women) who know and love the critters in their care.

But culture—not just horseracing culture, all human culture—is a fascinating machine. If we do something expecting a certain result—we’ll likely see that result. That’s why the Scientific Method is so difficult to master, and so necessary to help sort out Truth in a case like this.

Generations of human expectations—not equine inability—have relegated female Thoroughbreds to the back of the proverbial bus. Dr. Entin further states that she observed that female Thoroughbreds are, more-than-likely, spoken to in a different manner than their male counterparts.

Imagine that…now, I personally think that a loving, gentle approach (cooperation, vs. domination) is the way to train a horse to greatness. LOVE the horse to victory, don’t beat it to death. So I think that all Thoroughbreds deserve to be treated with respect, love and affection. But even those horses who ARE treated thus—the females are, more often than not, treated differently, spoken to differently, than the colts and “horses” (older males).

And no one realizes it, because it’s just the way it’s always been. Females are said to “tire more easily,” “lose it in the stretch,” not able to prove themselves in a long race, ad nauseum. And, like magic—those low expectations are often met.

Not because the respective fillies and mares can’t cut it—but because we just don’t expect them to be as big, or strong, or capable as the males.

Of course, trainers and owners in America hope that their fillies and mares will be great—but they usually expect that to be in a test against their own gender. It’s rare when a female Thoroughbred is tossed in there with the boys by her handlers—and it’s a joy when it does happen, because it indicates an enlightened team of connections, humans who look tradition in the eye and realize that tradition isn’t always right, or beneficial.

(Cannibalism is a tradition in some cultures—but not everyone involved in the transaction is happy about it.)

Michael Paulson had that faith in Azeri: he insisted that she be trained like a Thoroughbred—not like a FEMALE Thoroughbred. Train her, expect great things of her—and she lived up to those expectations.

American horseracing is still far behind Europe and Oz (Australia) when it comes to female horses. Makybe Diva was the greatest Australian Thoroughbred—not the greatest Australian FEMALE Thoroughbred. The Ozmen took her all the way to her stars, because Oz, of all places, knows a thing or two about being in the one-down position. As a nation, Oz has fought to earn respect, and that translates in so many ways in which they now teach others to see the world differently.

Ozmen treat their female Thoroughbreds like horses, without gender bias.

So much of the culture of American Thoroughbred racing is stuck in the Victorian rut of fat men with fat cigars, making plans for their prissy hostess wives and their high-stepping horses. And their women—Stepford Mamas, who are content to be in the background, whirling and twirling while serving tea, or Dom Perignon, or whatever is the Flavor du Jour, would never consider taking the reins of the family stable, themselves.

And then…and then you have strong, smart, take-charge women like Penny Chenery; Allaire DuPont and Charlotte Weber. Horsewomen, women who know that a horse is a horse is a horse—and that a woman’s place is, indeed, in the Clubhouse—but also in the backstretch, in the foaling barn, and in the Boardroom.

In the Middle Ages, these women were referred to as Viragae: strong, smart, educated—“…almost as good as a man.” A woman who could match wits and power with a man in 14th Century Europe was insulted with the moniker, Virago. (And we know what they were implying, don’t we?)

Women like Saint Catherine of Siena embraced it.

I’m a Virago. You may be a Virago, or know and love one. And admit it—isn’t it more fun to spend time with an engaging woman, than one who hangs on your every word and expects you to pet her like a Siamese cat?

Women like Penny don’t treat female Thoroughbreds like second-class equine citizens. And I suspect that those Viragae have little tolerance for those who still think that the REAL job of a female Thoroughbred starts when she retires to crank out babies.

We in American racing need to follow the lead of these three great women, and realize that hundreds of years of misogyny (gender bias) has proven only one thing: that if you expect little of a horse, that’s exactly what you’ll get.

But if you expect your filly to go out there and win the Belmont…she’ll do that, too.

Try this experiment for one week: every time you’re about to refer to a filly or a mare as a “female Thoroughbred,” or as a “female horse”—unless her gender is germane to the conversation—try just saying, “Thoroughbred,” or “horse.”

Language is the vehicle that drives the thought processes of culture. If we change the language with which we discuss our equine charges, and the manner in which we speak to them—said culture will eventually change. It’s a slow-moving vehicle, but one that must evolve if American racing is ever to truly compete on the world stage. A horse is a horse, of course, of course…and no one knows this, or can prove it more convincingly than Dr. Pauline Entin.

The scientific stats are in, and, frankly—they carry more weight than the stats generated at a race. Our racing stats may be carved in stone—but scientific statistics stand up for millennia. Time to change our minds, and therefore, our sport: denying 50%of the equine population full access, competitive purses, respect and credit is akin to denying 51% of the human population access to the administrative offices at TOBA. It’s not only stupid, it’s just plain Bad Business.

N.B.: If you'd like a copy of Dr. Entin's white paper, please email me here, send your email address and I'll zip it off to you.


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Friday, November 02, 2007

New York Racing:  The Good, the Bad and the Truly Ugly…

New York racing is officially on the Endangered List, because the future of the sport that’s beloved by millions--New Yorkers and others, alike—and the livelihood of thousands more, has been reduced to nothing more than a political boxing match, the pugilistic throw-down of two men, their egos and their professional aspirations.

In this corner we have a former friend of Saratoga and of the sport, New York State Senate Majority Leader, Joseph L. Bruno (-R). (I say “former,” because Joe’s most recent idea for “saving” the sport is a concept forged in backroom meetings with political cronies. This idiot’s romp—which I’ll spell out in a minute—stinks, for myriad reasons. This scheme may have hatched over a plate of gnocchi ‘n sausage on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. And I’m Italian—so I’m allowed to say that.)

In THIS corner, sporting an ego the size of Central Park and visions of the American Presidency, we have New York’s (new) Governor, Eliot Spitzer (-D).

(I’m convinced that Governor Steamroller actually hates Thoroughbred racing for some deep, personal reason, for which he may need therapy, to work through some family issue. Maybe his Uncle Sy lost the family house, to pay off horse gambling debts. Not my problem—not OUR problem. Work through it, Eliot, and do your job objectively.)

The reason I charge that he hates the sport is that, at every turn, The Man Who Would Be King has tried to kick racing in the onions. This vendetta began long before he donned the ermine Governor’s cape. As Attorney General, he tried his damndest to deep-six NYRA. Now, in a move that looks like Making Nice, he’s chosen NYRA as the best-possible operator. Pick an opinion, Eliot, based on insightful, honest information about what’s best for the sport—NOT for State coffers, or your own political dreams.

He must lie awake at night, thinking of new ways to destroy the sport in the Empire State. I do NOT think this because he chose NYRA, not at all. Hear me out.

No, my opinion is forged from my own icky feelings (think, dirty diapers) following a dialogue with his henchman, Richard Rifkin--and the fact that not once did Eliot set foot on the grounds of Saratoga Race Course until Travers Day. Saratoga Springs’ insightful Mayor, the Honorable Valerie Keehn, invited Emperor Eliot to tour the city and Race Course on more than one occasion. I reiterated the invitation when I spoke with Rifkin in June. Several Saratoga publications put it out there. But noooooooooo, New York’s new ruler never came onto the grounds--UNTIL the biggest race day of the 2007 meet, when photo opps abounded. It was all about appearances, glad-handing and Being Seen.

In the end, he doesn’t care a tiny rat’s ass what happens to New York Thoroughbreds, owners, trainers, breeders or fans. As long as he can suck obscene, unfair (illegal?) amounts of cash from VLTs and handle; stuff the proffered cash into State coffers; and look like the Fiscal Saviour to taxpayers. Another stepping stone on the path to the White House.

Eliot’s scheme—and it IS a scheme, for it has nothing to do with his belief that NYRA is best for racing—this scheme is deceptively simple. From the outside, is merely seems that he acknowledges that NYRA is the best candidate, and so wants to let NYRA keep the franchise for another 30 years.

But, ah, there’s always a rub: the caveat to this is that NYRA must relinquish its claim of ownership of the three tracks and their land. Eliot knows that a court ruling on the matter would find in favor of NYRA—and that would ruin his land-development plans.

So NYRA would have to give up its claim. And we can all see where His Highness aims to take this: racing eventually phased out. All VLTs, All the Time—except for Aqueduct, which he’ll raze and sell to one of his real estate development bedpartners. Can you see another Co-Op City in Jamaica, right on the LIRR? I wonder how much money Eliot would make, personally, from such a sweetheart deal.


So we have two men using the situation to vent their personal hatred for each other--and a third man, who's really acting on behalf of his organization.

* Spitzer: A man who hates our sport, taking over our racetracks—as landholder, the State WILL be able to dictate what happens to the property. I don’t know about you, but New York State—NO government entity—is my first choice as a landlord. Eminent Domain is a very real, very scary probability here. The field is littered with red flags.

So, Eliot’s version of how it should be played out, that face which he’s presenting to the public, seems so simple: let NYRA keep racing. But his other face—and he IS two-faced, at the very least—is looking to fulfill election promises he made to his development friends. Count on it.

* And then there’s Joe Bruno and his new program. Joe, Joe, Joe: you’ve finally had that long-overdue stroke. You, who’ve publicly spoken against Big Government for so many years, have obviously suffered a brain accident, causing you to push for a shiny, new government agency. You’ve proposed the establishment of the New York State Racing, Gaming and Equine Sports Development Corporation. A corporation comprised of 11 political appointees, leftovers from (former Governor) George Pataki’s IOU List. Joe, you needn’t lose your credibility because your Republican colleague didn’t get to pay off his job debts while he was still in office.

These 11 hand-chosen court jesters would supposedly “oversee” and choose the administrators of every phase of racing—no doubt, more friends of friends. This Nepotism Tree has more branches than a polygamist’s family reunion.

This idea is not good, Joe, for oh-so-many reasons:
* You aim to populate this Corporation with 11 people outside the racing industry: ineffectual, inefficient, inexperienced in the sport. Eleven buddies who know nothing about this sport, but who know everything about bureaucracy and scratching each other’s backs. Now, Joe, the Racing and Wagering Board is overseen by political appointees—and we see how well THAT’S going, right? What makes you think that 11 more sycophants, with no body of knowledge in this very-complicated sport—can actually RUN the sport?
* The phrase, “Equine Sports”—Joe, you, of all people, know that this phrase encompasses many, many sports BESIDES Thoroughbred racing. Harness racing; hunter/jumper; eventing; dressage; barrel-racing; cutting…Joe, the list goes on and on. Using that multifaceted word, “equine” really opens a can of worms: once your political appointees get that rush of power that comes with “running” Thoroughbred racing, it’s inevitable that they’re going to crave the power to mismanage ALL equine sports in New York. If they don’t know anything about our ONE sport, the idea that they’ll be fit to administer ALL the equine sports in the State is ridiculous. Every sport is complicated: that’s why there are people called, Experts, in any given sport. Your 11 corporate screws will show that they’re inept in many equine disciplines, not just one. Were I involved with any of those other sports, I’d be very nervous about this proposed Corporation.
* The idea of this Corporation is that it would be like unto the New York State Thruway and Bridge Authorities. YIKES. You mean, the same Bridge Authority that slept through the collapse of the Schoharie Creek bridge a few years back? The collapse that killed people, and caused all New York bridges to finally be evaluated—and found to be on the verge? THAT Bridge Authority?

Yes, that’s precisely what New York needs—another ineffectual government agency, populated by political appointees, whose job is to “oversee” racing. Another opportunity for long lunches; State cars; expense accounts and graft for 11 people who can’t tell a Thoroughbred from a zebra. That’s a great idea, Joe—IF you want to kill racing in the Empire State, once and for all. Another top-heavy government agency of paper-pushing brothers-in-law. While they’re busy paying back favors and planning their next junket to the Caribbean, New York racing will be pushed under the bus. But who cares, as long as George Pataki’s friends finally get cushy jobs.

But, oh, there’s a THIRD corner in this dysfunctional boxing ring: In THIS corner, we have NYRA.
NYRA has threatened that, if it's not awarded the franchise--racing will not be allowed on their tracks after December 31st. This will, of course, shut down racing in New York state, period. And any amount of time during which the New York tracks sit, dark, will throw the sport in that state's racing (calendar, stakes, purses, potential) into utter, irretrievable disrepair.

But you know, I almost don't cite NYRA for their response to the mess. They--and the other potential franchisees--must feel like the unnamed baby in the famous King Solomon story. Torn by two women, both of whom claimed to be Mom, the baby must have been screamin’ its head off. Being drawn and quartered is not fun.

(I find it interesting to note that horses are necessary to conduct a drawing-and-quartering. Without the four horses, no quartering. Without the horses—no New York racing.)

I know that MY nerves would be shot, were I NYRA or the other franchisees. So I really don't cite NYRA for its wild, reactionary stand: all animals, when cornered, will attack to kill.

Two political powerhouses are holding the majority of the cards in this card game—and, ironically, it’s not THEIR game to control. They’ve artfully wrested control of the game from the rightful owners, the horsewomen (and –men) of New York State.

This has become a triangular card game, in which each player is holding at least one Ace. The question is, Who's holding that last Ace?

Cue the music to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

Unfortunately, this is not a card game. Far more is at stake here than a few dollars and some bruised egos.

This scenario--actually, the two political scenarii and the third, NYRA's violent response--have alarmed many. A forum will be held this week in Saratoga to discuss the frightening possibilities.

A forum will give voice to concerns, but won’t solve the problem. These three guys need a Stooge Slap: line 'em up, Three Stooges-style, and slap 'em down the line, 'til the see the light.

Where's Moe when you need him?

So we have before us two schemes for the future of New York racing, and a third concept that WILL happen if one of the two ill-advised schemes doesn’t work out.

Two of these ideas are put forth by two men whose animosity toward each other is renowned. As so often happens when egos grapple with a situation that affects many others—racing in New York is going to suffer, maybe even die. It seems unthinkable, but given the non-choices before us—and the seemingly insatiable hunger of so many politicians to control the sport—it’s very likely, unless we horsepeople step up to the plate and demand full participation in this mess.

Perhaps a class-action suit, on behalf of everyone who races, watches, bets or works in New York racing is the only reality check that’s viable at this late date. That might be the only Stooge slap that the crazed players notice.

The people whose lives and livelihoods will be permanently affected by the decision must storm the fortress, lest we lose the war. They—we--and the horses we own, train, love and protect—are the unwitting, unwilling victims in these scenarii. Unless we legally grab the reins and screech, “Whoa!”

Can’t someone come up with a solution that’s based on actually caring about Thoroughbred racing in New York State—with no hidden agenda, no favors to pay? Never mind about looking for Moe—where’s Clint Eastwood?

Too many cooks (once again), too much stirring of the proverbial pot. Oy, I have a headache just writing about it.

But, hey, why should I care, now that I live in Lexington? I care because, in my heart, I’ll always be a Saratogian. I care, because millions of people around the world acknowledge New York racing as The Best in the United States. I care because I love the horses; I love the people; I love the sport.

And all I’m asking is that everyone take a step back, breathe and put their own cravings aside while making decisions that are for the good of ALL concerned—not the desires of a few politicos, on either side of the aisle. The real needs, of the real workers and athletes in this industry.

Maybe I’m grateful that I now live in Lex, for surely—I’m embarrassed to think of myself as a New Yorker these days. And I know, for certain, that after December 31st—at least we’ll still have racing in Kentucky.



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